


Who Are You?

by lqchangkyun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Cliffhangers, M/M, Magic, Potions, Warlocks, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-20 16:09:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18996031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lqchangkyun/pseuds/lqchangkyun
Summary: Doyoung is a warlock studying magic at Spellbound Academy. Someone has been following him, but he doesn't know who or why. When Doyoung encounters trouble, someone comes to his rescue, but who? Who is this stranger who saved his life and disappeared?





	Who Are You?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Blindoutro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blindoutro/gifts).



> I realize this is supposed to be a DoYu fic, but Yuta isn't even really in it, but stay tuned because there will be a part two with Yuta in it. This is just establishing the world and following close to Doyoung. Hope you enjoy!

Doyoung’s last class ends and he makes a beeline for town. His favorite booth has some belladonna in, finally, and he has to get some for a sedative he’s been working on. He’s definitely not trying to knock anyone out, though. 

“Hey, Doyoung,” Ten calls as Doyoung passes by. Doyoung gives his only friend a quick wave before passing the boundaries of campus and heading towards the market nearby. 

There’s only a few other witches and warlocks meandering through the market when he gets there. This is the perfect time to come; no one goes to the market during the week. Doyoung’s atmosphere is the less people there are, the better. 

He heads to Kun’s booth. A witch from school he can’t remember the name of is talking to him, holding her hands out for a bag Kun hands her. He recognizes sticks of cinnamon and some catnip peeking through. He fights a smile as she thanks Kun and walks away.

“Hey, Doyoung,” Kun says. “I got your belladonna packed up for you.” 

Doyoung puts his money on the counter and holds his hands out excitedly. Kun places a tightly wrapped box in his hands and puts the money in the register.

“What do you need belladonna for?” Kun says.

“I’m just working on a potion,” Doyoung says. 

“You say that every time you buy something from me,” Kun says. “How many potions could you possibly be working on?” 

Doyoung gives him a smile as he tucks the box under his arm. “I’m just practicing,” he says. He waves goodbye to Kun’s resigned look and makes his way back to campus.

He passes by his dorms and walks to his shed located near the gardens. The school basically let him have it since they had built a better shed on the other side of the gardens. He spends hours in his shed working on different potions or just when he’s having a rough day. It’s his solace and he refuses to bring anyone to it, not even Ten. 

He opens the door and closes it behind him quickly. He sets the box at one of his stations, moving some cauldrons around to make room. He grabs a knife and slices the box open, being extra careful not to damage the plant.

Belladonna is an extremely poisonous plant when ingested. Doyoung is handling it like a bomb anyways as he sets it on his cutting board. 

Doyoung is a second year at Spellbound Academy in the middle of nowhere Korea. As soon as his powers started manifesting, his parents shipped him off. The only thing to do is go to town where there’s only a market run by other witches and warlocks. 

Doyoung uses a little of his telekinesis to set up his workspace. He situates a cauldron in front of him, the cutting board with the belladonna beside it. The other necessary ingredients float from different sections of the shed towards him, lining up neatly, ready for use. 

Witches and warlocks all have varying powers; some are elemental while others are based in ESP, like Doyoung’s. He uses telekinesis to move objects, to predict certain movements. He basically has a third eye, but since he’s only a second year, it’s barely open. 

He starts carefully chopping the belladonna and putting it in the cauldron. He works from one of his many textbooks, his eyes flitting over the recipe to make sure that he doesn’t mess up a single step. One wrong ingredient, one mismeasurement, and the shed could explode. 

He works diligently for about an hour, making sure the sedative cures properly while he is away. It takes ten hours for it to be completely done, so he floats it to the back of the shed and starts straightening up his workspace to leave for the day. 

As he leaves the shed, he feels a pair of eyes on him. He hunches his shoulders and walks quickly to his dorms. His powers also give him the ability to feel another presence around him should he be alone, but it’s always faint since his powers aren’t developed enough. He feels that faint pulse through his energy, but he doesn’t know where it’s coming from. 

He gets to his dorm and shuts the door behind him. The pulse is gone, but he still feels a little shaken up. It’s probably nothing, he tells himself. You’re just being paranoid. 

He sits at his desk and munches on chips while he studies until his head hits his mound of textbooks and he enters the realm of dreams. 

***

_He feels that faint pulse around him. He’s in some wooded area near campus that he’s never been in. He swivels his head around, trees surrounding him at every turn, but that pulsating energy persisting._

_He starts speedwalking back to… where? He has no idea where campus is from here. He sends a little bit of his energy out to find campus, but since his powers are still weak, he doesn’t get farther than a mile. He’s more than a mile away from campus?_

_Every tree looks the same. The leaves on the ground crunch underneath his feet as he stumbles through the woods. He still feels someone or something near him. The woods seem to be endless, the cloudy sky trapping the sunlight._

_He doesn’t feel the presence getting closer. He doesn’t realize that the sound of crunching leaves isn’t coming from him._

_He turns around and doesn’t even get time to scream before someone launches themselves at him._

__***_ _

__He sits up at his desk, heart beating fast. He wipes some drool from the corner of his mouth and shuts all of his books. He checks his phone to see that it’s the middle of the night._ _

__He goes into his bathroom to brush his teeth before he climbs into bed even though residual fear from his dream still lingers and he’s no longer tired. He has class all day, so he can’t risk crashing halfway through._ _

__When he leaves his bathroom, he decides to go to his shed to check on the sedative. It hasn’t been ten hours yet, but maybe the walk will tire him out again._ _

__As soon as he walks outside, he feels that faint pulse return. The fear from his dream fuels his paranoia as he jogs to the shed. He doesn’t know if the presence is hostile, but all he knows is that it’s following him and he can’t shake them unless he’s in his room._ _

__He gets to his shed and locks the door behind him. The pulse is gone, but he sends some of his energy out to make sure. He doesn’t pick up on anything, but the fear doesn’t leave as he floats the sedative towards him to check on it._ _

__A knock sounds on the door. He jumps, his powers at the ready on his fingertip as he approaches the door. He flings it open and jumps back, ready to attack the intruder. Who could be wandering out here this late at night? A witch hunter?_ _

__Ten jumps back with a yell. The wind whips around him, lifting his clothes and hair. His powers are elemental, but he has a hard time controlling them when his emotions peak._ _

__“What are you doing here?” Doyoung says. He closes the shed’s door behind him; even though Ten is his best friend, he won’t show anyone this part of his life, this sacred space only for him._ _

__“I saw you leave the dorm, so I followed you,” Ten says. “I wanted to make sure everything’s okay.”_ _

__Doyoung lets out a sigh of relief as he leans against the door. The person following him had been Ten, his friend. No witch hunter, no one hostile. He lowers his arm and straightens back up._ _

__“Is this your hideout?” Ten says. He peeks around Doyoung, trying to see through the solid door for whatever reason._ _

__“I just come here when I have a lot on my mind,” Doyoung says evasively. He hopes Ten won’t ask to see what’s inside. He doesn’t want to have to tell his friend no._ _

__“We should get back to the dorm,” Ten says. “Don’t you have class all day?”_ _

__Doyoung’s chest lightens with relief as he nods and follows Ten back to the dorm. He sends his energy to the shed to straighten everything up. It would drive him crazy if he forgot to put anything back._ _

__***_ _

__He runs to the shed after his first class to check on the sedative. It’s been a little over ten hours, but the professor would not let them go, even though class time was up. There are some people milling around the gardens for next class period. He slips into the shed, locking the door behind him._ _

__It’s perfectly cured, just as he thought it would be. It smells like strong acid, burning the back of his throat. He floats over a container and pours the sedative in it, being careful not to waste a single drop._ _

__Whoever had been following him before is back. He feels their presence hovering outside of the shed. He finishes sealing up the sedative while he hesitates. Should he run outside and confront this person now, see what they want from him? If it’s someone dangerous, they could hurt him. But would they in the middle of a school day, with a bunch of other witches and warlocks around?_ _

__When he leaves the shed to go to his next class, the presence is gone. He feels relieved that he doesn’t have to confront anyone. His next class is a practice period with his teaching assistant, Taeil. Taeil also has powers based in ESP, so he offered to help Doyoung grow stronger._ _

__“Close your eyes,” Taeil instructs. They’re outside in a wooded area near campus. Taeil is helping him expand his radar so that he can sense other witches and warlocks near him. “Feel your energy in your core and imagine it leaving your body, sweeping over campus.”_ _

__Doyoung feels a bead of sweat trickle down his back as he concentrates. He feels fatigue settle over him like a heavy blanket, but he keeps concentrating. He focuses on campus less than a mile away. He focuses on capturing it in his energy, seeing it in his mind’s eye._ _

__It’s faint, but he can sense the students milling around, can sense the layout of his home. He releases his concentration and opens his eyes, panting from the strain. He had never been able to feel the entirety of campus, so he’s proud of his progress._ _

__“Good job, Doyoung,” Taeil says, a proud gleam in his eyes to match his bright smile. “Let’s call it for today.”_ _

__Doyoung looks at his watch. “There’s still an hour left in the period,” he says._ _

__“And you already look exhausted.” Taeil gives him a wink. “Rest up,” he calls over his shoulder as he walks back to campus._ _

__Doyoung decides to practice more. He heads deeper into the woods to see how far he can send his energy out. His mind feels kind of foggy from the exertion of doing it before, but he feels confident that he can at least reach the outer edges of campus from the middle of the woods._ _

__He feels that faint pulse return. He swivels around, looking for whoever has been following him. His hand shakes as he keeps it poised for self-defense._ _

__A wave of dizziness hits him all at once and he staggers backwards. He blinks his eyes to clear the fogginess, but his vision is clouding. His powers are sparking at his fingertips. He is so incredibly tired._ _

__Something hits him in the small of his back, sending him sprawling on the ground. He flips onto his back and stares wide-eyed at his assailant._ _

__“What do you want from me?” Doyoung says, his voice betraying the fear running rampant through his body._ _

__The guy snarls, his eyes flashing with rage. “Things like you shouldn’t be allowed to live,” he says. “It’s my job to keep the world safe.”_ _

__A witch hunter. Doyoung scoots along the ground until his back hits a tree. He stands up, his eyes shifting through the emptiness of the woods, looking for an escape. The witch hunter swings a machete at him. He holds his hand up, stopping the machete’s motion just enough to move out of its way. The witch hunter comes at him again, tackling him to the ground. Doyoung cries out as the witch hunter’s knees dig into his gut._ _

__“One less creature in this world,” he says as he brings the machete above him._ _

__Doyoung’s head is spinning. He can’t focus his powers enough to get the guy off of him. His vision is giving out on him. His body is weak. What’s the point of being a warlock if he can’t even protect himself?_ _

__Before the machete can make contact with his face, the witch hunter is thrown off of him. He sits up, heaving in deep breaths as he watches someone fight the witch hunter._ _

__The stranger holds out his hand and shrouds the witch hunter in energy. He screams, struggling to free himself, but the energy is strong. Doyoung watches, his body covered in sweat. The witch hunter’s screams grow softer until his body goes limp. The stranger releases his hold on the late witch hunter._ _

__Doyoung watches the stranger levitate the body with his fingertip. The stranger turns and locks eyes with Doyoung before walking away, the body floating next to him._ _

__“Wait!” Doyoung says. He tries to stand up, but falls back to his knees. His body is giving out on him. He wants to sleep so badly._ _

__The stranger doesn’t stop walking away. Doyoung is panting as he crawls towards the stranger. He has to properly thank him. He doesn’t want to owe this stranger a life debt._ _

__He feels his cheek hit the ground. The adrenaline from fear has subsided, and his exhaustion has finally caught up with him. The stranger is the last thing he sees before his vision goes black._ _

_Who are you? Why did you save me?_


End file.
